Mulching

Mulching is when the soil is covered with organic matter, the purpose of which is to:

• not boil over and evaporate so much water
• suppress weeds
• organic matter that enters the soil is converted to humus over time

This organic matter can be, for example, cut plant remains, wood scraps from cooking, or compost. If possible, leave leaves under your own trees, because ethically they are YOURS. If you also use the remains of plants that have been seeded for mulch, it may sprout and you may not want it. So we compost that instead.

Composting

💚 composting and when we collect organic matter in a pile or composting bin. The purpose of this is to:

• leaves from plant residues or almost any non-toxic organic matter (e.g. vegetable food waste) to make compost. 
• Compost is an excellent soil conditioner, if spread out it helps to increase the humus content of your soil 

During composting, if there is air and sufficient moisture in the composter, sooting will occur. When this happens, the microorganisms in the composter start to break down the organic matter and incorporate it into their own bodies. This process is triggered by fungi, and we know that fungi need moisture. So we understand that the composter must be kept moist at all times. It helps if it is in a shady place!

However, don't over-water it either, as this can cause rotting. That is the unfavourable acid process. Keep the organic matter in the composter as small as possible to help the bacteria and fungi inside digest it.

How can we improve the vitality of our soil?

1. Do not rotate, i.e. do not dig. If it is compacted, use a fork spade instead. 
2. Under no circumstances do we rotacap. It dries the soil. It breaks up the soil and tears the mycorrhiza hyphae. It clogs the worm burrows where water and air travel.
3. Do not leave the soil uncovered and cover it only with organic matter. This will greatly reduce drying out in summer.
4. Try to increase the diversity in your garden. A large rose garden is very nice, but it's even better for the soil if you have other plants in it.

In this 10 plants in a blanket plant mix dominated by butterflies, which are capable of fixing up to more than 100 kg nitrogen per hectare from the air. Melioration radish in the mix deeply loosens the soil, while the kalashes provide shade and support for other crops. The 8% mycorrhiza concentrate per bag of 8% mycorrhiza in the mix both supports seed growth and can provide a mycorrhizal "bed" for next year's crops such as sunflower or corn. By using it you can create a more humus-rich, vital and healthy soil!

Related topics

Soil improvement

In this blog post, we talk more about what causes acidic/acidic pH? Why is it harmful to have acidic soil? For pH measurement there are products on the internet for under 10.000 Ft, which usually measure the soil temperature as well. It's worth measuring the pH of your garden soil in several places to see how far it differs from the ideal value of 6.5-7from us.

Why is it harmful to have acidic soil?

1. We know that acidic soil is rich in H⁺ the amount of ions. If there is too much of this, it will displace the useful nutrient e.g. calcium Ca⁺⁺, or magnesium Mg^++, Iron Fe⁺, copper Cu⁺, zinc Zn^+. Thus, plants will starve in the absence of these useful nutrients.
2. Beneficial bacteria and fungi do not thrive in very acidic soil, so they do not function properly. They don't fix nitrogen from the air and don't absorb phosphorus and other nutrients. They are not able to improve the soil.
3. In highly acidic soils, large amounts of aluminium can be absorbed Al⁺⁺and manganese Mn, which is highly toxic to the roots of the plant.

The secret forces of soil: humus 1×1

We talk a lot about hummus ingredients. What are they exactly? We get a lot of questions from you about them. What is their function? How can they help us in gardening? In this blog post, we have summarised everything you need to know about hops.

Humic substances improve soil water retention, soil structure and stability. We can think of them as water and nutrient stores in the soil.

💚 Blackjak thanks to its production technology - mechanical grinding - all the humic constituents are present in it and its chemistry remains acidic (since most of the humic constituents are also acid).Humins are giant molecules and are insoluble in any compound.